Traveling

Our Tuesday-Wednesday travel day was long,

22 hours total from locking our front door 

to stepping foot on the Viking Skirnir in Nuremberg, Germany. 

We flew the polar route from LAX to Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - 

nice lay-flat seats, great flight attendants - 

then a rickety puddle-jumper, with the old-fashioned push-up to the cockpit stairway, for the one hour flight to Nuremberg. 

Turns out LAX and AMS are big airports. 

We walked 2.4 miles Tuesday at LAX 

 Little snack in the Air France lounge

and 2.6 miles Wednesday at AMS and while finding our bus in Nuremberg. (That was a not-fun hike, dragging suitcases up and over cobblestone curbs. 10/10 would not recommend.)

We had a safety briefing and dinner on board the Skirner,

Heated bathroom floors! I’m never leaving.

then collapsed into bed. 

Looking forward to seeing the sights for the next 10 days!

River Cruise, Day 1

We were signed up to do a walking tour of Nuremberg this morning, but it was cold (39°), pea-soup foggy and way too early, 

so we decided to take a day off instead. The past few months have been a bit much. 

I think we were 2 of only 3 passengers remaining on board when the boat headed down the river for… training? fuel? just because?

It was peaceful and quiet in the lounge, just like we wanted. 

We also got a surprise with dinner. 

It looked like the boat was going to hit a cement wall until we realized we were entering a lock. 

We had a ringside seat as the boat sank lower and lower… until the wall that started out below our window now towered 2 stories above us. So very coo

We’re in Bamburg tomorrow (medieval cathedral! UNESCO World Heritage site!) until noon, 

so we may see more locks during the day. 

Can’t wait!

View from our balcony looking to the right

Almost Time

We’re leaving on vacation in about 30 hours.

Am I packed? Nope.* (Shocking, I know.)

Did I spend all evening making a shoulder pad for my purse? Sure did!**

Priorities!

* Pop has been packed since Friday night. 

** Sewing project was going pretty well until I got to the binding. Put in a heavy-duty denim needle after I broke 2 regular ones sewing through 10+ layers. At 2 am decided finished was much better than perfect so please don’t look too closely at the binding. It’s functional!

What a Day

We probably should have spread some of this to another day, but it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and Thursday, and we’re leaving on vacation next Tuesday, so the timing was getting tight.

Painters will be done tomorrow, a day ahead of their estimate. 

Very pleased with the work they’ve done - and recommended them to the poor guy across the street who now has water running down his walls. What is it with this neighborhood?? 

A tile guy is coming tomorrow to give a quote on redoing the master bedroom floor. Not going with wood again - we’ve learned that lesson!

The last things we need (I think) to give the insurance company are quotes for the floor tile and master closet interior. Somebody had the bright idea (slight sarcasm) of stopping at Ikea to look at their closet systems on our way to Pasadena. Got some good ideas but also walked a mile and a half trying to find the exit! Cyrus and I were tired before we even got to the main event…

We saw Carved at Descanso Gardens again! 

Wanted to take Cyrus before we left for Europe 

and tonight seemed the best fit.

I don’t think it was as well done as last year but it was still well worth going. 

I especially liked the ghost people. 

So spooky and clever. 

Arriving late and having to park waaay down the street 

added to our step count - 

just shy of another mile and a half. 

As a reward for putting up with us, we took Cyrus to Rolling Pin Donuts, a local must-see. 

The donuts may not be the best but they sure are big! And they’re open all night so you can watch them rolling and frying before picking your favs. 

This only measures planned walks, where I take my phone along.

Nepenthes

With everything that’s going on, I haven’t paid much attention to my carnivorous plants other than to keep them watered. 

This one got pushed to the back and look what I found when I pulled it out…

The pitchers are huge! 

The biggest ones are a tad over 4”. And there are so many!

Pictured in June, purchased in March

This was my first C plant, bought on a whim from a small display at a local nursery. I think it likes it here. 

Back to the Mess

Good news! 

 Linen closet with guest bath to the right

The construction crew was able to start a bit early, so we have progress on rebuilding. And! They say they’ll be done by next Thursday. 

 No more cat attic access! All the drywall is up

We were skeptical until we saw how much progress they made today. 

 Closets ready for paint

They are cranking it out.

 No mo’  popcorn.

And the workmanship is great. Pop was impressed they were able to get the arch’s curve so smooth 

and that they are screwing on the drywall rather than the faster, but less secure, method of nailing it on. 

This is the same crew that painted the exterior and did such a meticulous job. 

We won’t be moving back downstairs for awhile though. Pop is going to finish the closets himself, 

 The maze piles are worse - only a little longer…

plus we need to find a tile guy for the bedroom floor after we get back from vacation. 

And then all this stuff can go back. where. it. belongs!